Meet the Royal Court

Our Board of Directors . . .

Bambi Hartman -

Director & Event Coordinator

Hi there, I am Bambi Hartman. Not only am I the Director of Regal Dane Rescue, I am also the Event Coordinator.

I got my first Dane, Bella, in March of 2009 after seeing a beautiful Harlequin Dane in the Will Smith movie ‘Seven Pounds’. I knew I had to have one. Bella was an amazing girl and a learning experience, since I dove in head first, not knowing anything about the breed. Because of her, I got involved in Great Dane Rescue.

A Fun Fact about me, I love quilting. I have made numerous quilts and my first quilt block that I entered in a contest, won. It was made into a quilt along with the other blocks that were entered. As part of the contest rules, I had to donate the quilt to a charity. That’s when I looked into finding a Great Dane Rescue to donate the quilt to. So I guess we can say that my Rescue Life started with Bella and a Quilt. Two of my greatest Loves.

I have been part of rescue for going on 10 years, and I love it. Knowing that I can make a difference in the life of a Dane is very rewarding. I lost Bella to renal failure on Christmas Day 2018, but she will live on in my everyday work with the rescue.

Document & Website Administrator

Kelly Hannah -

I have always had dogs in my life and about 3 years ago, I had to say goodbye to my oldest living dog (Scrappy), who lived to 18! Scrappy wasn't a Dane, but when she left a huge empty hole in my life, I wanted to open my home to dogs in need. I was curious about Great Danes.

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I fostered a couple of Danes during that first 6 months to a year and then the last Foster I had, got really sick and was diagnosed with Diabetes. She became a Forever Foster and I adopted her. I can't foster any more since Miss Riley doesn't like any other dogs, so I volunteer my time with the website, documents, events, picking up and storing donated food and transporting dogs.

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It is very rewarding to me to see Danes rescued from very bad situations, and having them come around and not be so afraid, seeing them flourish with training and the love they show after being shown love themselves.

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A Fun Fact about me, I am a puzzle monger! I love puzzles, whether they be my job (which is similar to a programmer), or WordBrain, Sudoku or Kakuro! Number puzzles just tickle me!!

Albuquerque Affiliate

Kelly Hernandez -

Hello, I’m Kelly and I’ve been involved with Regal Dane Rescue since April 2019. I am a lifelong animal lover and was a thorn in my parents side since the day I started bringing stray dogs home after school!

Hello, I’m Kelly and I’ve been involved with Regal Dane Rescue since April 2019.

We have 3 dogs at home; 2 Danes and one beagle mix. We adopted our first dane "Queso", from the shelter in Jan 2019. Our second "Zelda", was a foster, who became a foster fail, since we loved her so much.

I have been married to my wonderful husband Martin, for 16 years and we have 3 children, Chris, Martin, and Lylah-Ann. I work as a property manager

I am a lifelong animal lover and was a thorn in my parents side since the day I started bringing stray dogs home after school!

for a small company and live in Albuquerque NM. I am also the team mom and head of fundraising for my kids' swim club and an active mom in my daughters Girl Scout troop.

In my free time, I like to crochet, embroider, read, hike and fish, go camping and travel with my family. And, of course, take the girls to visit our local dog parks for fun with the local Danes in the rescue and around Albuquerque.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to help expand Regal Dane Rescue to Albuquerque, New Mexico and help even more dogs in need. We are building a Dane community from the ground up and everyday is a new adventure.

Our Committee Members . . .

Raleigh Holland -

Foster / Volunteer /

Transport Coordinator

My name is Raleigh and I am currently the Foster, Volunteer and Transport Coordinator for Regal Dane Rescue. I’ve been actively participating in rescue for about two years now; however, my whole life I’ve been known by my friends and family for rescuing all kinds of animals on my own and helping those animals find a safe place to land.

Animals have always been my passion.

My name is Raleigh and I am currently the Foster, Volunteer and Transport Coordinator for Regal Dane Rescue.

I’ve been actively participating in rescue for about two years now; however, my whole life I’ve been known by my friends and family for rescuing all kinds of animals on my own and helping those animals find a safe place to land.

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Animals have always been my passion.

I fell in love with the Great Dane breed as a child, but was not able to own one until I became an adult. Being able to help rescue Danes has been one of the many joys in my life. There are no words to describe how amazing it is when you are able to help a dog find their forever home. That is why I am involved in rescue.

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I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have a handsome and outgoing 5 year old son. We have four dogs of our own, as well as two horses. We continue to volunteer and foster to make a difference in the lives of these beautiful and majestic dogs. A Fun Fact about me, I work full-time as a 911 Operator/Police dispatch Supervisor for an agency here in AZ.

Julie Carlson -

Health & Wellness Coordinator

A Fun Fact about me, for the first nine months of having my first Dane, I was able to take her to work with me every day. She was the “ambassador” of our office and so many people would stop by to give her love every day!

Hi, I'm Julie. For many years, ever since I saw a Great Dane puppy running through the dog park, I wanted to have one of these awesome dogs.

Eventually, I contacted Bambi at the rescue and started the process. No looking back, I was in love with the breed! Since then, I’ve been lucky to have two incredible girls and have fostered others.

I love sharing with others I meet about what an amazing dog they are. A “hug” from a Dane is like no other.

Debbie Thompson -

Donation & Fundraising Coordinator

I am a life-long dog lover! In high school, I said “love me, love my dog” and no to having children.

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I met my first Dane at age 4 and fell right in love! Finally, I got my first Dane puppy in 2001. When I got my second Dane girl, I was determined to rescue my next Dane since there were so many in rescues and shelters.

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I started rescuing in 2014, and I am currently proudly owned by Dane #3 (girl), #4 (abused boy) and #5 (rescue puppy)!!

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I continue to help in other ways, since my house is full!! A Fun Fact about me, I am deaf and I've had brain surgery!

Stephanie Wirthman -

Floating Coordinator

Hi, I'm Stephanie. I'm new to rescue altogether, but have always wanted Danes, so I decided to foster to see how they would do with my current fur babies.

Our first foster was Spencer (with me in the photo). He's such a love bug and fit in so perfectly with our family, I couldn't bear to part with him, so we became foster fails on our first try! We decided to try fostering again and now have five dogs in our home! I also try and help out as much as possible with getting fosters and adopters lined up.

I work full time in a manufacturing plant, where we make window blinds and shutters. Living the American dream and working towards a better, brighter (and hopefully richer!) future. I'm fortunate to have been able to donate space in my warehouse to house the food for the rescue, as well as have the flexibility to help out in last minute situations.

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A Fun Fact about me, I love DIY projects. I'm constantly finding things to make for myself to save money; like Starbucks drinks (although delicious, they're quite pricey!) I taught myself to sew to refurbish torn clothes and linens and I've recently started gardening, with the hopes to grow the majority of my dinner veggies and herbs!

Proudly Sponsored by:

Regal Dane Rescue is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All donations go to the care, feeding and medical needs of the Great Danes in our care. All donations are tax deductible.